Tiredness and Meditation

Question

I decided to meditate continuously, no matter what occurs within meditation. I will attempt to do as best I can.

However, the only circumstance when I feel like meditation would be difficult would be when experiencing lethargy or fatigue.

I noticed that some things usually occur while particularly tired:

1. Meditation becomes difficult as the mind tends to drift or wander.
2. Rather than generate insight or focus the mind will create aimless and incoherent thoughts.
3. The body will slacken and it becomes easier to drift off.

Hence, does anyone have tips to generate more energy for meditation, be it in terms of lifestyle or immediate antidotes? And should I try to meditate despite these feelings of tiredness and fatigue or should I merely abstain or distract myself until I am more alert? Thank you.

Answer 1

Story about Ven Moggallana might be interesting to you. He was struggling with sleepiness (or tiredness) on his path to liberation. Buddha gave him specific set of instructions. Per Buddha, Last step to fight sleepiness is to actually sleep. Maha-Moggallana

Answer 2

Wow, sounds like a good practice but nobody ever said it would be %100 easy.

As long as I practice continuously I try to be mindful of my reactions to how the practice is going. The more mindfulness the better the faculties become balanced. Sometimes we are more mindful than other times. Sometimes it seems like we can't get into it, we don't have enough runway clearance to get the mindfulness off the ground.

One is less likely to become lethargic while doing walking meditation and also it gives one added concentration so one could do sitting meditation immediately after with a more balanced concentration.

Answer 3

@Eggman… have you ever tried ‘Walking Meditation’? ; It’s an essential part of the meditation. It develops an added skill, the skill to be centered in the body not only while the body is still, but also while the body is moving. Walking meditation teaches you to be still in the midst of movement, to get a stronger sense of the mind as the observer that doesn’t move along with the things it observes. The ability to observe the mind in action and yet not get caught up in the action is important. And this is why walking meditation is so important, because it helps give you practice in perfecting that ability.

If you’re feeling tired, try to breathe in a way that gives you more energy. If you’re feeling tense, try to breathe in a way that’s more relaxing. You want to be friends with your wise qualities inside, the thoughts that help you, that point you in the right direction. You want to learn how to encourage them. After all, meditation is not simply a matter of driving thoughts out of the mind. You first have to learn how to think skillfully. Just listen to all the conversations going on in the mind: Should I meditate? Should I not meditate? Notice all the voices that say, No, I’m too tired, I need my rest, I want to do something else. Ask yourself: Are those your true friends? Where are they going to take you? Learn how to encourage the voices that take you where you really want to go. This is one of the most basic skills in meditation. If you can’t master this one, you can’t do anything else basic, like sticking with the breath.

Answer 4

I find it easiest to meditate first thing in the morning. I have a half cup or a cup of coffee first as part of my morning ritual, then meditate for an hour. The best thing you can do is to get a good night's sleep so you are rested in the morning.